This invention relates generally to improvements in the manufacture of fabric-based protective coverings particularly of the type used to form so-called convertible tops for automobiles and the like. More specifically, this invention relates to improved methods and related apparatus for making a convertible top or the like of the type having integrally formed rain gutters for controlled drainage of rainwater and the like from the top.
Fabric-based protective coverings in general are well known in the art for use in temporarily sheltering persons and/or equipment from exposure to rain, wind, sun, and the like. For example, such protective coverings have been popularly used for many years with automobiles to form a so-called convertible top which can be erected when desired to shield and protect vehicle occupants. During selected fair weather conditions, the convertible top can be lowered or otherwise removed and stored to expose the occupants of the vehicle to direct sunlight, etc., thereby enhancing the recreational or other desired uses of the vehicle.
Convertible tops for automobiles have been traditionally constructed from canvas or other fabric-based material mounted upon an articulated skeletal frame adapted for relatively rapid deployment between a raised position enclosing an underlying vehicle passenger compartment and a stored position opening the top of said passenger compartment. The fabric-based top is typicaly constructed from a top deck panel of the fabric material which is sewn or otherwise attached along its side margins to a repsective pair of side quarter panels, wherein the assembled panels are shaped to stretch relatively taut upon the frame in the raised position and to form a vehicle top compatible with the particular vehicle model and style. In recent years, the fabric-based material used in forming the top has included a vinyl or other substantially waterproof outer layer for increased protection of the vehicle occupants.
One disadvantage encountered with traditional convertible tops for automobiles, however, relates to the absence of structural means for draining rainwater and the like away from windows and doors along the sides of the vehicle. That is, rainwater and the like tends to drain from the top deck panel toward the sides of the convertible top where it can fall directly onto passenger windows and doors. When a window or door is opened, a significant quantity of rainwater can fall into the vehicle or onto a passenger.
Some improved convertible tops have been designed to include integrated troughs or rain gutters extending along the side margins of the top deck panel, thereby draining water toward the front or rear of the vehicle in a direction away from underlying passenger windows and doors. However, such convertible top designs have required extensive manual labor and skill to interconnect the top deck and side quarter panels in a manner defining the desired rain gutters. Moreover, such convertible top constructions have not consistently provided adequate connection strength between the top deck and side quarter panels, resulting in occasional undesired separation of those panels.
There exists, therefore, a significant need for an improved methods and related apparatus for forming an automobile convertible top or the like of the type having integrated rain gutters along the opposite sides of a top deck panel, wherein the convertible top can be produced at a relatively rapid production rate and with a high strength interconnection between top deck and side quarter panels. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.